RCPP Biological/Forestry Technician

Introduction

The Land Conservancy, a division within Tall Timbers, was established in 1990 to ensure the conservation of natural and cultural resources and rural land-use traditions of the Red Hills region of South Georgia and North Florida and in other strategic areas. Tall Timbers, along with over 132 private landowners, have conserved over 156,000 acres utilizing conservation easements, making it one of the largest regional land trusts in the Southeast. Our conservation easements protect some of the South’s best remaining longleaf pine savannas, miles of river frontage along the Flint, Ochlockonee, and Aucilla Rivers, scenic canopy roads, and historic sites. These conservation easements protect critical upland wildlife habitat and wetland ecosystems that affect the region’s quality of life by providing clean air and water to the residents of South Georgia and North Florida. In addition, these conservation easements perpetuate traditional rural land uses of sustainable forestry, farming, and recreational hunting. Tall Timbers has adopted the Land Trust Alliance’s Standards and Practices and is an accredited land trust by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.

In an effort to fulfill the Tall Timbers mission “to foster exemplary land stewardship through research, conservation and education”, the Land Conservancy initiated a five-year program in 2021 to assist private landowners by providing technical assistance and cost-share funding through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). This program is focused on the geographic area within the St. Marks River and Aucilla River watersheds in North Florida and South Georgia. RCPP program staff perform site visits with landowners, develop conservation plans, assist with contracting, document project outcomes (pre-and post-land management activity monitoring), and track progress of land management project applications and implementation.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Conduct site-visits to survey natural community conditions, species populations, and land management outcomes on a diverse array of private lands in North Florida and South Georgia.

• Evaluate impacts of conservation and land management activities on State Wildlife Action Plan-listed species and their habitats.

• Work with RCPP program staff to produce maps, monitor land management activities, and develop land/forest management plans.

• Contribute to Tall Timbers and RCPP community outreach, including attending events, making presentations, and developing educational materials.

• Assist in the day-to-day management of the Land Conservancy, including performing necessary administrative tasks and public information requests.

• Participate in occasional land management activities, including prescribed burning.

• Assist in the overall work of the Land Conservancy and Tall Timbers as appropriate and as requested

by the Conservation Coordinator and Director and perform other relates duties as assigned.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Proficiency with personal computers and Microsoft programs including Word and Excel.

• Ability to work independently outdoors in conditions that may involve extreme heat or cold weather,

traversing challenging terrain, and insect and wildlife encounters.

• Ability to operate four-wheel drive vehicles.

• Knowledge of/experience with land management, forestry, and/or agricultural concepts and various implementation techniques.

• Familiarity with vegetation and wildlife surveying and monitoring techniques.

• Ability to effectively develop reports, management plans, stewardship documents, technical papers,

popular articles, social media posts, and other writings as assigned.